Staggering Stories Forum!

No doubtless Adam is getting jolly excited about the upcoming Transformers movie - I remember seeing the last one with him (also Orson Welles last film credit I believe) - but that was 1984.... Coming bang up to date, I came across this amusing article speculating the movie futures of some other hasbro properties...

Well, I'm not sure about other Hasbro toys being turning into films (although I wouldn't be surprised to see a 'GI Joe' film someday!) Gun-totting ponies aside they would all surely be dreadful!

I wonder if the same might not be true of this new Transformers... I doubt I'll see it on the big screen but I will certainly add it to my DVD rental list. Apparently it's doing quite well in the US but that is no indication of its quality!

It will be hard to beat the original '86 animated film. As you say, quite a cast - including the likes of Eric Idle, Casey Kasem, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack, Don Messick, Frank Welker (of course!) and loads of others I should probably recognise! But, yes, probably not Orson Welles' greatest film to go out on!

I have now seen the new 'Live Action' Transformers film. I much prefer the 1986 animated film, I have to say!

I'm sure none of you were planning to see this new film. If you were, be prewarned...

The Transformers bore no relation to any previous versions of themselves (the exception being that Prime was voiced by the same chap, which helped identify him, if nothing else). They tried to interject personality into them but it doesn't work. They certainly look very robot-like but, sadly, so much so that you can barely tell each of them apart. In true Michael Bay style you cannot understand the fight scenes at all - it's all too fast, too close and not helped at all by my previous point of not being able to tell one robot from another! Most importantly, though, it lacks excitement! That, above the other criticisms, may be particularly subjective but come on - giant robots that can transform into cars, tanks, jet fighters, etc., fighting each other? It must take some serious talent to make that as dull as Bay has!

Oh, well. Perhaps the two sequels they are talking about will address these and the various other problems the film had. Probably not...